Thread: New member and new found interest

G day Patrick,
Welcome to the mob.
They are a great bunch of fellas. Thanks for the new site I will add it to my list.And thanks for being concise with your query.It makes it much easier to help you with a reply.

The lathe you mention is a small one but could be used for the purpose you describe.

Realise though that there is tooling that you will have to make or buy to get the radius.The lathe won't do it easily without the ball turner tooling attachment.

Have a Google search under "ball turning tools" and you should turn up a lot of leads.

There are heaps on the hobby machinist sites overseas.My guess is that you may end up making your own ball turning tool as it must suit tool and center height on your particular lathe. It is not that difficult. There are two or three basic types, but break down into categories of horizontal or vertical axis varieties.
I have made one for a 12' lathe,but details sadly are scratchings on paper.

I am a bit too occupied to help just at the moment ,but will have time later to offer some further details.If you don't have any luck I am sure at least a couple of blokes here, will have info for you.

Dunno where the rest are,probably at the pub or have everything turned off for earth hour.
Again welcome to our little bit of the forum.

Cheers
Grahame

There ya go Patrick

I am back
Bear in mind these are various types that fit various sizes of lathe.The likelihood of you buying something that will fit your intended lathe is small,but if I am wrong,and frequently am,I am sure some one will come along and tell us so.

In the mean time, the links are a bit of an idea of the ways you can go in design an application of your ball turner..


http://www.metalwebnews.com/howto/baltool/balltool.html

http://www.homemetalshopclub.org/news/oct03/oct03.html

http://members.optusnet.com.au/mores...allTurner.html

http://www.bedair.org/Ball/ball.html

http://www.geocities.com/steves_workshop/ballturner.htm

http://tabletopmachinewiki.com/wiki/Ball_Turning_Tool

cheers
Grahame

Welcome Patrick,
seeing as how you're in Brissie, you might pop into Minitech on the northside. Little lathes, mills and tooling is what they do, always a good place to waste a morning.
(no affiliation etc.)

Awesome fellers, thanks a lot!

Already I have gained a fair bit of knowledge about what I will need to find/make/steal to acomplish my needed tasks

I warn you all now however, I have only ever used a lathe once and that was at high school ... a LONG time ago. I have no idea on names of the various parts of a lathe or anything as yet, but I am researching all the time and no doubt will have a rudimentary understanding in a relatively short amount of time.

Thanks again for all your input Grahame and Sleeping Dog.